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UK Islamophobic Extremism

Yesterday, it was announced that every one of the six men who had been arrested had been released without charge.

Did the Express put this news on the front page? Not quite. Here's page nine of today's paper:

Still can't see it? It's here:

So the Express falsely labels the six men 'Al-Qaeda-linked Islamic terrorists plotting to kill the Pope' on the front page on Saturday, but only mentions they have all been released without charge in one easy-to-miss sentence at the bottom of page nine on Monday.

The Express' owner (Richard Desmond) and editor (Peter Hill) should be ashamed.

Britain has expressed its fear for the wellbeing of its citizens in Pakistan, Iraq, Iran and other Muslim countries following "anti-Muslim" comments expected to appear in documents slated to be published Sunday evening by the WikiLeaks website, the Sunday Times reports.

The British government fears that certain talks between diplomats will reflect an anti-Islamic approach, which would ignite the atmosphere among extremists. (AFP)

The comments will reflect exactly what these kuffar planned and conversed, thinking it was a private conversation and others would not find out. There are no extremists to ignite anything, there are only Muslims who will be angry for the obvious truth. The only extremists are these kuffar; extremists in their hatred for Islam and Muslims! Allah calls them out for being extremists and they think they can fool others by calling others what they themselves are.

O People of Scripture! (Jews & Christians) Do not be extreme in your religion! [Qur'an: (5:77)]

Masked men threw bottles of beer and urinated on a mosque following a march against Muslim extremism.

Bacon was also left on cars near Kingston Mosque during the attack by a group of 10-15 youths on Sunday.

Kingston Mosque claimed scriiptball bats were also used in the incident on East Road, but this was not confirmed by police.

However officers did recover two pieces of wood near the scene.

Police were called to the mosque at 1:15pm and arrested three white males, who have since been released on bail without charge.

Rizwan Khaliq, spokesman for the Kingston Muslim Association, said: "Under the pretence of protesting against extreme elements within the Islamic faith, a group of masked men congregated outside the mosque shouting obscenities at the mainly elderly congregation inside.

"They urinated against the mosque walls, threw beer-bottles, and used scriiptball bats to smash windows.

"It is a miracle that nobody was injured and only superficial damaged was caused.

"Such despicable actions have no place in our community and it is something that we must all unite against.

"All decent folk must come together and unite against the hate agenda – which has no place in our community."

Muslims are forbidden from eating pork by the Koran.

Earlier on in the day about 60 people holding Union Jacks and a large wooden poppy had chanted "Muslim bombers off our streets" as they marched through Kingston.

The protest had appeared to pass off peacefully and the crowd had dispersed from Clarence Street by 12.15pm.

Detective Chief Superintendent Martin Greenslade said police were investigating any link between the attack on the mosque and the march.

However Ben Baty, 20, of Sunbury, who organised the march, said: "I think it's disgusting. It's the kind of behaviour I thought my march would not attract. I wanted people from other communities to feel welcome.

"Even when people were shouting 'Muslim bombers off our streets' I was not happy but obvously people did not know how to express themselves.

"I'm saddened and shocked this happened because I thought the group there was very well behaved. Hopefully these people will be brought to justice."

LONDON // An alarming picture of the physical violence, intimidation and discrimination faced by many of Britain's two million Muslims on a daily basis, was portrayed yesterday in new academic research.

The 224-page report from the European Muslim Research Centre, based at the University of Exeter, said that the bulk of incidents went unreported by communities who had lost faith in the authorities to do anything about them.

Released at a conference yesterday at the London Muslim Centre, the report called for "urgent" government action to tackle the problem after years of neglect.

Part of a 10-year study into Islamophobia throughout Europe, the report represented "an insight into the grim reality of a lived experience that is insufficiently acknowledged and understood outside of the communities where it occurs".

Authors of the report, Jonathan Githens-Mazer and Robert Lambert, the co-directors of the research centre, said in their introduction: "We argue in this report that much anti-Muslim violence in the UK is predicated on the rhetoric and practice of the 'war on terror' that George Bush and Tony Blair launched against 'an evil ideology' in the aftermath of 9/11."

Mr Lambert added: "Because the war on terror is viewed as a security risk, Muslims do not have the support that is now widely accepted in other areas of hate crime. Muslims are not requesting special treatment, just equal rights with their fellow citizens."

The report, "Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Hate Crime: UK Case Studies", was based on teams of researchers interviewing members of the Muslim community throughout the UK.

Although the researchers found well-documented acts of violence perpetrated by followers of right-wing groups such as the British National Party and English Defence League, they said that the majority of attacks were carried out by "individuals who have become convinced and angry by negative portrayals of Muslims in the media".

Random acts of violence and intimidation - including what the report said was a "disturbing" number of incidents involving Muslim women wearing veils - were most likely to occur in poor, urban communities.

In one incident, a woman wearing a burqa was punched and called a "terrorist" by a stranger in front of her petrified daughter. The woman was too scared to inform the police.

The report said that, in this instance, the woman stopped going out as much to reduce the risk of further attacks. Other British Muslims reduced such risks by abandoning traditional clothing or becoming isolated within their own communities.

Many Muslims, the report found, do not report incidents because of a complex set of reasons including fear, alienation and suspicion of the authorities.

Mr Githens-Mazer said: "Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate crime are very real problems for British Muslims going about their everyday business.

"Through our research, we have found that in smaller and more isolated mosques in many suburbs and market towns, there is a feeling of being under siege.

"Some local councils who are made aware of the situation say to mosque officials: 'We can see this is bad - why don't you move the mosque?'"

The report said that, especially in smaller Muslim communities where attacks on mosques had "increased dramatically" since the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, support from local police was often inadequate.

Responding to the report, the communities secretary, Eric Pickles, described Islamophobia and hate crimes as "deplorable" and called on victims to ensure that they reported all incidents to the police.

"We want to stop anyone who creates distrust and division in communities, wherever it is. Everyone has the right to go about their daily business without fear of harm or intimidation," he said. "We want Britain to become an integrated society, where everyone participates and people are not held back by discrimination and intolerance."

John Esposito, a professor of international affairs and Islamic studies at Georgetown University in Washington, who attended yesterday's conference, said the problem was that "a biased minority in the United Kingdom" refused to acknowledge the legitimate place of Islam in British society.

"Islam is now a European and American religion," he said. "Muslims are part of the mosaic of western nations; like people of all faiths and no faith, they are entitled to the same rights, duties, opportunities and civil liberties."

The report does hold out hope for the future. It concludes: "We have every reason to believe that the decency of the overwhelming majority of ordinary UK citizens will eventually undermine and reduce the bigotry of a vocal minority.

"If brave political leadership is forthcoming, then the task will be so much easier."

If the 9/11 happened in the USA then why are the kuffar in other countries attacking Muslims? It's because they are united, they think of themselves as one body and the Muslims as another body. Muslims are told by the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasalam) that the ummah is one body and if one part hurts the whole body is in pain. Yet, Muslims don't practice or believe this and the kuffar do. The result is obvious.

Prejudice against Muslims has "passed the dinner-table test" and become socially acceptable in the UK, a senior Conservative is to say.

Baroness Warsi, co-chairman of the Tory Party, will warn against dividing Muslims into moderates and extremists.

The baroness, the first Muslim woman to serve in the cabinet, will say such labels fuel misunderstanding.

She will use a speech at Leicester University to accuse the media of superficial discussion of Islam.

Baroness Warsi will say anti-Muslim prejudice is now seen by many Britons as normal and uncontroversial, and she will use her position to fight an "ongoing battle against bigotry".

In extracts of the speech, published in the Daily Telegraph, the peer blames "the patronising, superficial way faith is discussed in certain quarters, including the media", for making Britain a less tolerant place for believers.

She is expected to reveal that she raised the issue of Islamophobia with Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Britain last year, urging him to "create a better understanding between Europe and its Muslim citizens".
'Social rejection'

The BBC's religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott said Baroness Warsi is to say publicly what many Muslims privately complain about - that prejudice against them does not attract the social stigma attached to prejudice against other religious and ethnic groups.

"Lady Warsi has broached the issue before," Robert Pigott says.

"She told the 2009 Conservative Party conference that anti-Muslim hatred had become Britain's last socially acceptable form of bigotry, and claimed in a magazine article last October that taking a pop at the Muslim community in the media sold papers and didn't really matter."

In her speech, she is expected to say the description of Muslims as either moderate or extremist encourages false assumptions.

"It's not a big leap of imagination to predict where the talk of 'moderate' Muslims leads; in the factory, where they've just hired a Muslim worker, the boss says to his employees: 'Not to worry, he's only fairly Muslim'," she will say.

"In the school, the kids say: 'The family next door are Muslim but they're not too bad'.

"And in the road, as a woman walks past wearing a burka, the passers-by think: 'That woman's either oppressed or is making a political statement'."

Baroness Warsi will say terror offences committed by a small number of Muslims should not be used to condemn all who follow Islam.

But she will also urge Muslim communities to be clearer about their rejection of those who resort to violent acts.

"Those who commit criminal acts of terrorism in our country need to be dealt with not just by the full force of the law," she will say.

"They also should face social rejection and alienation across society and their acts must not be used as an opportunity to tar all Muslims."

Asked about Baroness Warsi's speech, a No 10 spokesman said she was expressing the view that there needed to be a debate "about the issue of radicalisation in Great Britain and terrorism".

Attacks on Poles and Muslims have been identified as contributing to a 20% increase in racist incidents over the past 12 months.

11 February 2011

Increased levels of Islamophobia and negative attitudes towards Polish people could be behind a 20% rise in racist incidents in Scotland, experts have said.

Every day in Scotland, 17 people are abused, threatened or violently attacked because of the colour of their skin, ethnicity or nationality.

Statistics showed that 6,171 incidents of racism were recorded in 2009/10 - a rise of 20.4% from the 5,123 racist incidents recorded in 2008/9.

The figures, revealed in a freedom of information request to Scotland's eight police forces, come despite there only being a 13% increase over the previous five years.

Part of the rise is thought to be down to an increase in anti-Polish attacks, with the Federation of Poles in Great Britain saying there has been an annual 20% rise in racist incidents.

Alastair McIntosh, fellow at the Centre of Human Ecology and a co-author of studies into racism in Scotland, said Islamophobia is also a problem in Scotland.

He said: "Whenever you have the fear of poverty, people tend to become xenophobic, and I think that's an increasing issue in Scotland with the economic problems we've had recently.

"Muslims in particular are having a hard time of it, and they all seem to get tarred with the same brush. It would be true to say Islamophobia is a problem in this country.”

Incidents of racism directed at refugees are also thought to have increased.

John Wilkes, Chief Executive of Scottish Refugee Council, said: "Fundamentally we believe that Scotland is a welcoming country and many people go out of their way to support asylum seekers and refugees who have been forced to flee violence or persecution in their home countries.

"However we also hear worryingly frequent reports from both those seeking asylum and refugees who have been victim to racist abuse and attacks. Each of these reports is deeply troubling and any rise in the figures is worrying.

"There is no place for this kind of abuse in 21st century Scotland."

Unacceptable

A spokeswoman for the Equality and Human Rights Commission Scotland added: "Racism is unacceptable in whatever form it takes and must not be tolerated. Safe and secure community life is an essential right for everyone in Scotland so these figures are disappointing.”

Politicians have also expressed concern at the rise in the figures.

Labour justice spokesman Richard Baker said: "Clearly we haven't managed to deal with these problems and people will be rightly asking why these increases are happening."

Bill Aitken, Conservative justice spokesman, added: "The number of these offences is clearly concerning and is unacceptable in Scotland in any circumstances."

A Scottish government spokesman said: "The Scottish Government is totally committed to ridding Scotland of all forms of hate crime, whoever the victims are, and those found guilty in the courts can expect to be dealt with by the full force of the law.

"As well as strengthening the laws in relation to hate crime, we have committed £10.5m between 2008 and 2011 to support projects run by 53 organisations delivering race and faith equality and improving the lives of minority ethnic and faith communities."

According to figures released in 2010, race hate victims were most likely to be of Pakistani origin, with 48% of all those targeted classed as Asian, followed by white British.

The majority of victims - 76% - were men and the vast majority of race hate perpetrators – 96% - were classed as white British. Of these, most were men aged 16-20, followed by men under the age of 16.

Strathclyde Police reported the highest number of incidents with 2826, while Lothian and Borders Police dealt with 1494 incidents. The lowest recorded total was in Dumfries and Galloway, where police dealt with 70 racist incidents.

Vandals have attacked 20 Muslim graves at a cemetery in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

Headstones were pushed over and ornaments from the graves strewn around the cemetery in Hampden Road.

The graves were vandalised between 2100 BST on Wednesday and 0800 BST on Thursday.

Thames Valley Police said it took the incident extremely seriously and was supporting families and the community as well as hunting the vandals.

'Cowardly act'

Supt Gilbert Houalla said: "I am disgusted that these people could be so thoughtless and cowardly and cannot believe that anyone could do something so unbelievably shocking to the graves of loved ones.

"The community should feel reassured that we take incidents of this nature extremely seriously and will be doing all that we can to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice."

"It appears that the vandals have specifically desecrated Muslim graves and I am at a loss as to what was going through the minds of those involved.

"This is not only an attack on the Muslim community but is an attack on us all."

The argument seems straightforward: if we have scientifically proven standards for animal welfare that we believe in, we should stick to those standards. And indeed, it would be a simple argument if the people affected by the ban were a random mix of a wide variety of the population.

The problem with the outright ban is that the only people affected are religious minorities: in the Dutch case, one million Dutch Muslims and 40,000 Jews. This makes it easy to claim that anti-minority sentiments are the hidden reason for the legislation. When far right anti-Islamic parties like Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party strongly support the ban, it’s easy to believe that the motivation may not always be just to protect animal welfare.

Our society is becoming increasingly secular, with the mainstream regarding religious faith as unproven and therefore unsupportable: the atheistic viewpoint dominates. How far do we want this to continue? Do we want to live in a state where people are jailed for their religious beliefs?

So what’s the answer here? How can we protect animal welfare without being seen to persecute religious minorities?
The fine print of yesterday’s Dutch vote may contain the answer to this dilemma: there’s a clause that will allow Jewish and Islamic groups who can prove that animals do not suffer more during ritual killing than in an ordinary slaughterhouse to continue to apply for permits for slaughter.

Most meat production for the Islamic market is already pre-stunned anyway; electrical stunning is used in over 80 per cent of halal slaughter. And it’s been claimed that when it’s done properly, the production of kosher meat does not need to involve any additional suffering for the animal. If those supporting ritual slaughter can demonstrate that their specific methods are humane, then they will be allowed to continue.

A mother-of-three *!racially abused a *!Muslim woman before spitting in the face of a police officer, a court has heard.

India McConnell, of Netley Road, Newbury Park, stood in front of a woman wearing a burka before shouting a racist slur and telling her to “go home”.

Redbridge Magistrates’ Court heard the 27-year-old had been drinking the previous day and all night before the incident at 8.45am in Ilford Lane at its junction with Winston Way on October 4.

In a statement read out by the prosecution lawyer, a witness said Miss McConnell pulled up her top mimicking the *!woman’s head scarf before shouting the abuse.

It added she was with a man who was saying to her: “Don’t do that.”

The witness said the woman was with four children, two in prams, who were “horrified”.

He asked why she was shouting to which she *!replied: “This is England. She should go back home.”

He said she was becoming confrontational and she tried to get him into a side road. Fearing for his safety he called police.

On seeing police Miss McConnell ran off through the car park of the Exchange Ilford, the court heard on Thursday. She was detained and arrested by Pc Simon Jackson and taken to Barkingside Police Station in a van.

She had been kicking the door and when it was opened by Mr Jackson she remained aggressive and spat in his face, magistrates were told.

The court heard on Thursday how Miss McConnell has a “severe” drinking problem and started crying when told she had shouted out the slur. A defence lawyer said: “She said she couldn’t *!believe she had done that in front of children and suffers from blank periods when drinking copious amounts of vodka. “She has a boyfriend who is Asian and Muslim so this is unusual. She said he is in intensive care at the moment so she is drinking more.”

Miss McConnell pleaded guilty to using racially aggravated threatening and abusive words or racist behaviour but insisted she was not racist.

There is a Latin proverb that says "In Vino Veritas" translated as "In wine there is truth". It means a drunk person will reveal the truth of what they know or feel, in this case this woman's true feelings towards Muslims!

A Muslim woman was spat at and abused by a gang of six teenagers in Telford who pulled off her religious headdress in a racially motivated attack.

The gang, who were all male, surrounded the 52-year-old woman and started aggressively pushing and shoving her as she walked along a footpath by the skate park near William Reynolds Infant School in Woodside on Tuesday. Chris Ammonds, spokesman for Telford police, said the woman was abused between 6pm and 6.20pm.

“After circling the victim the youths then started to racially abuse her. At least one of the youths spat at the victim too.

“The youths then pulled the victim’s hijab – a traditional Muslim headdress – off her head and taunted her with it but she quickly managed to grab it back off them and flee.

“The victim has been left very shaken by this incident and also suffered a long scratch to her right cheek as a result of the assault.

“The youths that surrounded the victim are all described as being white, aged between 15 and 17 and as wearing tracksuits and hooded tops or caps.

“Officers are very keen to identify the youths that assaulted this woman.”

Anyone with information should call Telford police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Plaistow victim speaks out. This is the interview with the 16 year old girl after she was punched and knocked out by a 34 year old Black male, Michael Ayoade, in Plaistow, London, UK. The teenager was a victim of a Hate Crime on November 13, 2012. The police did not release the CCTV video to the news until November 21, 2012.

Fortunately, someone from the public managed to help the police find the attacker, Michael Ayoade, after CCTV video was broadcasted on the television and Internet. The suspect plead guilty to the charges of assault and battery after the arrest. He is now awaiting trial and sentencing for his crime. The Police has not revealed the reason why the suspect brutally assaulted the teenager in this unprovoked attack.

They desire to harm you severely. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their breasts conceal is far worse. (Quran 3:118)
-----------------------------------------

Rising numbers of hate crimes against Muslim women in the UK

Hate crimes against Muslims in the UK are on the rise which mainly target women, according to new figures from a human rights organization.

The brutal and humiliating assaults include having Hijabs ripped off, being urinated on or having feces rubbed in their faces or put through their letterboxes.

Extreme political groups like the British National Party and the English Defence League are responsible for one third of the incidents, says Faith Matters.

The interfaith group revealed the shocking extent of these crimes after receiving disturbing calls on a new helpline set up for victims of attacks on Muslims.

The majority of callers to the Tell Mamma phone line were women and they each had worrying stories.

With the approach of the Olympics, human rights groups are concerned attacks may increase further during the Games, saying trends show racist groups use such large-scale events as platforms for their activities.

This edition of InFocus will expose the testimonies of hate crime victims, highlight the extent of the problem and look at what is being done to reduce the number of women subjected to attacks due to prejudice.

This program will seek to find how many of these perpetrators are brought to justice, why these crimes are on the rise, and reveal the implications for the lives of the victims targeted.

Three arrested after pig's head left outside Muslim place of worship on Boxing Day

28 Dec 2012 11:09

The pig's head was left at the entrance to a community centre being used as a Muslim place of worship in Leicester in what police are treating as a religiously-motivated offence

Three people have been arrested after a pig's head was left outside a community centre being used as a Muslim place of worship.

Leicestershire Police said the incident in the Thurnby Lodge area of Leicester was being treated as a religiously-motivated offence.

The pig's head was discovered at about 7.30am on Boxing Day by members of a Muslim group arriving at the entrance to the community centre in Thurncourt Road.

A 40-year-old woman and two men, aged 37 and 46, were arrested in connection with the incident today and are currently in police custody.

Commenting on the incident, Superintendent Mark Newcombe, of Leicester Police, said: "The only people using the community centre on Wednesday were from a local Muslim group and it's easy to draw the conclusion that the pig's head was meant for them, and is the reason we believe this to be religiously-motivated.

"Since the incident was reported to us we have been working with the Muslim group to find out as much as we possibly can, along with carrying out CCTV and other enquiries.

"We have no tolerance for discrimination in Leicester, be that racially or religiously-motivated, and we want members of the public to help us do all we can to find those responsible and bring them to justice."

Muslims are forbidden from eating pork and previous incidents in other parts of the UK have seen extremists prosecuted for similar attempts to cause upset to members of the Islamic community.

Condemning those behind the latest incident, Supt Newcombe added: "The behaviour of those responsible is completely unacceptable, however, there are a lot of good people in this community and it is these people we are appealing to.

"We're sure someone knows who is involved and we would urge them to come forward and help us."

Racist British leave pig head at Muslim place of worship 28 Dec 2012 11:09

The pig's head was left at the entrance to a community centre being used as a Muslim place of worship in Leicester in what police are treating as a religiously-motivated offence

Three people have been arrested after a pig's head was left outside a community centre being used as a Muslim place of worship.

Leicestershire Police said the incident in the Thurnby Lodge area of Leicester was being treated as a religiously-motivated offence.

The pig's head was discovered at about 7.30am on Boxing Day by members of a Muslim group arriving at the entrance to the community centre in Thurncourt Road.

A 40-year-old woman and two men, aged 37 and 46, were arrested in connection with the incident today and are currently in police custody.

Commenting on the incident, Superintendent Mark Newcombe, of Leicester Police, said: "The only people using the community centre on Wednesday were from a local Muslim group and it's easy to draw the conclusion that the pig's head was meant for them, and is the reason we believe this to be religiously-motivated.

"Since the incident was reported to us we have been working with the Muslim group to find out as much as we possibly can, along with carrying out CCTV and other enquiries.

"We have no tolerance for discrimination in Leicester, be that racially or religiously-motivated, and we want members of the public to help us do all we can to find those responsible and bring them to justice."

Muslims are forbidden from eating pork and previous incidents in other parts of the UK have seen extremists prosecuted for similar attempts to cause upset to members of the Islamic community.

Condemning those behind the latest incident, Supt Newcombe added: "The behaviour of those responsible is completely unacceptable, however, there are a lot of good people in this community and it is these people we are appealing to.

It's time to face up to the problem of sexual abuse in the white community

From Stuart Hall to north Wales, the issue won't go away. If you think I'm being ridiculous, read to the end of my argument every day across Britain, it seems, there's a new and horrific revelation of sexual abuse: last week we had the guilty plea of veteran TV presenter Stuart Hall, who confessed to 14 cases of indecent assault against 13 girls, the youngest only nine years old.

Days earlier the possible scale of child abuse in north Wales children's homes was revealed. We now know there were 140 allegations of historical abuse between 1963 and 1992. A total of 84 suspected offenders have been named, and it's claimed the abuse took place across 18 children's homes.

But after the shock has subsided and we have time to reflect on these revolting crimes, the main question in most reasonable people's minds must surely be: what is it about white people that makes them do this?

Jimmy Savile is alleged to have abused 300 young people, and in his case and in north Wales, the abuse could not have happened without a wide range of co-conspirators either grooming children or ensuring the truth never got out. Hardly a week goes by without another white man being arrested in connection with sexual abuse.

I'm beginning to feel sorry for whites. I have many white friends and I know most of them are wholly opposed to sexual abuse. But they must be worried that their whole community is getting a bad name. I can imagine that, every day, with each unfolding case, they must be hiding their face behind their hands, pleading: "Please, God, don't let it be a white person this time."

And with so many senior community figures implicated, many of us are starting to wonder what will happen to the next generation of whites. How will today's young whites learn that abuse is wrong when their role models are so tarnished?

First, though, we need to find out what's causing the problem. Is it something to do with white people's culture? Is it something to do with their loss of empire, and their new role in the world, as a diminished state desperately clinging to its glorious past? Do they seek to impose their last vestiges of power on the most vulnerable in society?

Or is it that, having spent so much of their history waging wars against each other, they cannot cope with the relative peace of the last half-century, and their frustration at not fighting is taken out on the weakest? I may have no evidence for this, but that's not going to stop me putting it out there as a cause.

Or maybe it's their religion? Child abuse in the priesthood has, of course, also been tolerated for decades, allowed to continue unpunished through a conspiracy of silence among the church hierarchy.

And despite the recent falls in attendance, Christianity still dominates European culture. And the Bible, which many whites still look to, has such verses as: "Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol [hell]." (Proverbs 23:13-14) It hardly fits with white society's claims to care for children. And even those who don't believe, such as Richard Dawkins, a senior cleric in the atheist community, have sought to downplay the gravity of child abuse, believing it's no worse than religion itself. As he wrote: "Horrible as sexual abuse no doubt was, the damage was arguably less than the long-term psychological damage inflicted by bringing the child up Catholic in the first place." Of course, what we really need now is for brave white community leaders to come out and distance themselves from the abusers.

I urge white people to break this conspiracy of silence. Call on your leaders to show leadership. To show us all that you're not like the people who dominate the news headlines. That you really do care about protecting children.

You may think all the above is ridiculous; that I'm stirring ethnic tensions on an issue that is clearly about individuals and small groups of people and has nothing to do with race or religion. And that by making this spurious case I'm ignoring the core issue, which is that children, many of them in vulnerable situations, were terrorised and physically harmed by opportunistic men who were able to get away with their crimes for years. You'd be right.

But all of the above arguments were made within various parts of our print and broadcast media whensimilarly small numbers of Muslim menwere revealed to be grooming young girls for sex. If you think the claims about white people are wrong, then so is the stereotyping of Britain's Muslims, and the widespread questioning of their culture and their religion, because of the perverted actions of a few.

Since the "black crime shock" tabloid stories of the 1980s, editors have known that stoking fears about misunderstood minorities is good for sales. If you object to this article, then you should understand how it feels to be a Muslim reading similar pieces pandering to Islamophobia day after day – and you should object to those too.

22 May 2013
Two men have been arrested after separate attacks on mosques following the solider incident in Woolwich.

A 43-year-old man is in custody on suspicion of attempted arson after reportedly walking into a mosque with a knife in Braintree, Essex.

Local MP Brooks Newmark tweeted: "Local mosque in Braintree attacked by man with knives and incendiary device. Man arrested. No one injured."

Essex Police confirmed a 43-year-old from Braintree had been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and attempted arson after the incident in Silks Way at 7.15pm. The spokesman added that police were investigating the "full circumstances" and said "it would not be appropriate to speculate at this time".

Meanwhile, police in Kent were called to reports of criminal damage at a mosque in Canterbury Street, Gillingham, at 8.40pm. A spokesman said a man is in custody on suspicion of racially-aggravated criminal damage. The force has stepped up the police presence after a man was butchered in broad daylight on the streets of London.

Supporters of the English Defence League (EDL) gathered at Woolwich Arsenal train station near the scene and threw bottles at police.

EDL leader Tommy Robinson, who was among a group of around 250 men, said: "They're chopping our soldiers' heads off. This is Islam. That's what we've seen today."

He added: "They've cut off one of our Army's heads off on the streets of London. Our next generation are being taught through schools that Islam is a religion of peace. It's not. It never has been. What you saw today is Islam. Everyone's had enough. There has to be a reaction, for the Government to listen, for the police to listen, to understand how angry this British public are."

The secretary of the mosque in Braintree, Sikander Saleemy, reportedly told Channel 4 News that he felt like it was a "revenge attack". Mr Saleemy said: "The police said it's too early to try and link it to what happened in Woolwich, but those of us who were here feel that it was some sort of revenge attack. It was clear from the man's behaviour.

"We absolutely condemn what happened in Woolwich, but it had nothing to do with us. It was an appalling act of terror - but it wasn't "Islamic" in any way. I wish it wasn't described like that, because sadly people will now start to blame Muslims."

A 75-year-old Muslim man who was stabbed to death as he made his way home from evening prayers could have been the victim of a racist killing.

Mohammed Saleem, who walked with the aid of a stick, was stabbed four time in the back so viciously that the wounds penetrated his chest.

He was not robbed and his family said there was no reason they knew why anyone would want to hurt him. Friends and family said he was well known and popular in the local community, which has been stunned by his death.

His nephew, Javid Iqbar, 53, described how he found Mr Saleem lying in a pool of blood. He said: "My auntie called me just after 10.30pm, and straight away I knew something must have been wrong. "She just started shouting at me to come quickly, that Mohammed had been hurt and she needed help. I raced round to their house and I saw a figure lying in the street, with the neighbours standing over him. "I dashed over and he was lying there motionless, in a pool of blood - he had obviously been very seriously attacked.

"He had been on his way home from mosque, where he had been for evening prayer. It was only a short walk from the house.

"They called an ambulance straight away and woke up my aunt. My aunt was crying and begging for help. The paramedics arrived and were trying to save him - they rushed him straight to hospital and I followed them in my car.

"When we got there, he was rushed away at once, and then the doctors came out and told us that there was nothing they could do. It was the worst night of my life. Our world fell apart, my aunt is devastated." He added: 'We can't understand why anyone would want to hurt Mohammed. He is a real family man and would never do anything to hurt anyone.

"I have no idea why he was attacked - he was just a defenceless old man, walking on his own, late at night. "This is a very tightly knit community, and everyone has been rocked by the news. I just hope whoever did this will be brought to justice.'

His daughter, Shazia Khan, 45, said she believed the attack was premeditated. She said: "He was a very strong independent well-spoken man. He was very educated and very knowledgeable on news and politics. "Despite being ill and having arthritis in his legs he would still hobble five times a day to the mosque to do his prayers. "All the neighbours liked him and he was very popular. He was well liked at the mosque too. I'm shocked that such a tragic thing could happen to him."

A 75 year old elderly Muslim Man was taking his usual route home after praying at his local Mosque with the aid of his walking stick. It was just a few yards away from his home when cowardly terrorists struck in cold blood from behind.

The attack on this dear old man, was so sick, vicious and barbaric, that the victim didn't even have a chance to defend himself (no defensive wounds were found). The blows were struck with such violence they penetrated to the front of his body.

Why was this not covered by media as extensively as the British soldier? Why wasn't this seen as a terrorist attack?

Anglo-extremist call for raping of Muslim women and beheading of Muslim Kids...They desire to harm you severely. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their breasts conceal is far worse.(3:118)

As if their war monger soldiers don’t do it enough already in Muslim lands. These people are the lowest of scum, may Allah destroy them and keep our sisters and children safe from their evil. Ameen!

Attacks on Muslims increase tenfold in the wake of Woolwich machete attack

EDL marches on Newcastle as attacks on Muslims increase tenfold in the wake of Woolwich machete attack which killed Drummer Lee Rigby

Islamophobic hate crimes are running at more than 10 times their usual rate, with more than 163 reported to a government-backed hotline in the 48 hours since the Woolwich killing.

They include nine attacks on mosques, assaults, racial abuse and anti-Muslim graffiti. An improvised petrol bomb was thrown at a mosque in Milton Keynes during Friday prayers, while attacks have also been reported in Gillingham, Braintree, Bolton and Cambridge.

The British National Party (BNP) leader, Nick Griffin, who visited Woolwich yesterday, provoked widespread disgust for tweeting that the alleged killers should be wrapped in “pig skin” and shot again. The BNP leader, whose party’s electoral support has collapsed in the past three years, has also called for a show of strength by activists in Woolwich next Saturday under the banner “United against Muslim terror”.

Across Britain “hate-fuelled” extremists had already attempted to attack mosques and individuals in the wake of Wednesday’s killing. The Muslim leaders said they wanted to make clear that the murder of Drummer Rigby was a “heinous atrocity worthy of nothing but contempt”. But they warned they had already seen extremists “seeking to capitalise upon Wednesday’s terrible act”.

“The hate-fuelled individuals behind such attacks wish to polarise and tear apart our great country for their own sick ends,” they wrote. “They should be isolated and subject to the full force of the law.”

A spokesman for the hate crime hotline Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks said reported incidents were running at “a level we simply haven’t seen before”. He said: “Muslims at this moment are feeling a real and pervasive sense of fear.” Calls for action on the capital’s streets by the EDL and the BNP will leave the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, with the dilemma of whether to apply to the Home Secretary, Theresa May, to have them banned. A planned EDL march through Tower Hamlets in London, home to one of the country’s largest Muslim communities, was blocked by Ms May two years ago. An estimated 1,500 members of an extremist right-wing group called the English Defense League marched in the northern English city of Newcastle, chanting Rigby's name.

The Woolwich murder has sparked a national increase in attacks against Muslims and mosques.

Over 10 mosques have been vandalized, two on the day of the Woolwich attack in Gillingham, Kent and Braintree, Essex. A mosque in Bletchley, Milton Keynes was petrol bombed yesterday and a white male was arrested on suspicion of arson.

Individual cases of physical attacks have also increased up and down the country. Yesterday a Muslim woman was hospitalized when she was attacked from behind by white males on her way home in Bolton.

The EDL have organized demonstrations in Manchester, Newcastle and elsewhere in the north of England as well as the Midlands. They had over 2,000 Facebook “likes” on the day of the Woolwich attack and many have begun following them on Twitter. It would be fair to say that the Woolwich murder has been a social media boost for the EDL.

Undoubtedly the most vulnerable within the Muslim community are the elderly, the women and young children.

5 Pillarz has provided 10 points of advice to safeguard Muslims in the UK from Islamophobic attacks:

1 Do not travel alone even in your local area and even if you live in a Muslim majority community, sporadic attacks by individuals are also possible. Travel in groups.

2 Men should escort the elderly to the mosque, especially during Maghrib and Isha prayers.

3 Do not send children to the shops late at night and monitor where they are going at all times.

4 For Muslim women who are working night shifts, finishing late or a distance away from home, get someone to pick you up. If you decide to get a taxi, covertly take down the driver and vehicle details.

5 If you’re travelling on public transport (train or bus), sit next to a crowded group or other Muslims. You can choose to sit or stand right next to the bus driver.

As a small group of supporters of the English Defence League gathered at the scene of the brutal killing of a soldier in Woolwich, they marked a wider pattern of anti-Muslim feeling across the UK, according to monitoring groups.

The EDL grouped at Woolwich Arsenal station near the scene of the murder on Wednesday and pelted police with bottles. Their leader, Tommy Robinson, stated: "They're chopping our soldiers' heads off. This is Islam. That's what we've seen today."

"They've cut off one of our Army's heads off on the streets of London."

Two mosques were attacked in the aftermath of the killing, one in Essex, the other in Gillingham in Kent with events there unfolding live on Twitter.

'Smashing things'

Police were at the mosque just after 21:00 BST on Wednesday and a local Muslim shop owner tweeted: "They broke the book case and some other windows."

"Guy ran in and started smashing things."

He added: "However bad the backlash is, it's nothing compared to what the prophets went through. Stand firm and patient - Allah is with us."

A spokesman for Kent police said a man was in custody on suspicion of racially-aggravated criminal damage.

Essex Police are questioning a 43-year-old man arrested outside the Islamic Centre in Braintree on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and attempted arson. He was detained after officers were called to reports of a man, armed with a knife, in Silks Way.

No-one was injured but Essex Police have increased patrols as a result.

Conservative MP for Braintree, Brooks Newmark, has met leaders at the mosque and said he was stunned by developments.

'Anti-Muslim hatred'

He said: "I was shocked to see that in Braintree, a relatively small market town, with a very small Muslim community who are fairly well integrated into our community, that this would happen.

"The mosque is in a converted house and doesn't even look like a traditional mosque."

Tell Mama (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks), a London based group that monitors anti-Muslim hatred, spent the evening logging any incidents of Islamaphobia that occurred in reaction to events in Woolwich.

It documented 38 reports of anti-Muslim incidents - most of them online and eight at a street level.

By comparison, in its first year of operation (to March 2013) Tell Mama recorded 632 incidents in total, averaging at about 12 a week.

Tell Mama said the latest incidents involved, at their worst, threats to kill but largely low-level abuse - spitting, negative comments about Muslims and one incident in which a woman was threatened with violence.

It also said on top of the recorded attacks on mosques there were five further threats to attack religious buildings.

Fiyaz Mughal, director of Faith Matters, which runs Tell-Mama, told BBC Asian Network that his address had been posted directly to Twitter and users had been invited to shoot him.

He said the organisation expected to be dealing with more hatred over the coming days.

He said: "I think we are going to see a growth of activity over the next few days, we are already seeing activity online from people who we thought were no longer a problem.

"It seems that groups like the EDL have capitalised on this incident quite well, both at a street level on with online support."

'Just delusional'

He added that his organisation was contacting police and mosques ahead of Friday prayers.

He added: "We are concerned with Friday coming up because of the sheer numbers who will be going to the mosque - we are asking police to monitor prayers to make sure everything can pass smoothly and we are just hoping for no more flash demos."

In Woolwich local British Muslim Murad Rasul, 30, told BBC Asian Network he was concerned about any backlash because relations had always been good in the area.

He said: "I've been born and raised in this area of Woolwich and the Army barracks have been a part of the Greenwich borough forever.

"There has never been any animosity between any members of the Muslim community and the Army."

Mr Rasul said, for him, the men who carried out the attack were not representing Islam or Muslims. "Anybody could carry out this act and shout 'Allahu Akbar' - they're just words.

"You can't kill an innocent person and try and justify it with religion - they're just delusional."

There has been a large increase in anti-Muslim incidents since the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich, an inter-faith charity has said.

Faith Matters, which runs a helpline, said they had received 162 calls since Wednesday's attack, up from a daily average of six.

A number of people have been charged after allegedly offensive comments were made on social media websites.

'Significant online activity'

Fiyaz Mughal, director of Faith Matters, said the nature of anti-Muslim incidents since Wednesday's murder, ranged from attacks against mosques, graffiti, the pulling off of Muslim women's headscarves and more general name calling and abuse.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "What's really concerning is the spread of these incidents. They're coming in from right across the country.

"Secondly, some of them are quite aggressive very focused, very aggressive attacks.

"And thirdly, there also seems to be significant online activity... suggesting co-ordination of incidents and attacks against institutions or places where Muslims congregate."

Since the attack, a number of people have been charged by police after allegedly offensive messages were posted on social media websites.

These include a 22-year-old man from Lincoln, a 28-year-old man from London, a 23-year-old woman from Southsea, and a 19-year-old man from Woking.

Three men - two from Gateshead and one from Stockton - have been arrested by Northumbria Police on suspicion of posting racist tweets.

It came ahead of a protest by the English Defence League (EDL) in Newcastle in which around 1,500 people took part. It had been planned for months.

On Friday, Drummer Rigby's wife Rebecca, the mother of his two-year-old son, said she had been aware of the dangers of her husband serving in countries where there was armed conflict, including Afghanistan, but added: "You don't expect it to happen when he's in the UK. You think they're safe."

Melissa York - May 24, 2013
A Muslim family are in shock after their fried chicken shop was viciously attacked last night by vengeful thugs following the murder of a soldier in Woolwich.

Two men entered Dixy Chicken on Green Street, Upton Park at 9.30pm where staff claim they banged on the serving counter, shouting, “You killed one of our soldiers, we’ll kill you” before vandalising the shop.

Shabbir, who helps run the family business after his father Gulam died in March, said they did their best to patch the shop up and opened for business again today because they couldn’t afford not to.

Shabbir said: “My Dad was 78-years-old when he died and he worked every day of his life. I am glad that he passed away and he wasn’t in the shop last night to see that. “A lot of good people come into the shop every night and they always say what a great man my Dad was.

“But on top of losing him, we really didn’t need this.”

The heavy glass doors in front of the shop were smashed and Shabbir estimates the men caused thousands of pounds of damage while he also lost a night’s business, having to throw food away.

Shabbir, who recently suffered a stroke and a heart attack, added: “The police were with us for quite a while last night and I haven’t slept very much, I’m exhausted.
“My life flashed before my eyes - if they had got over the counter, I don’t know if I’d have been strong enough to fight back.

“I’m scared, I am nervous about going in. My sister Shahanz was quite shaken up but I said to her, we can’t let these people ruin our lives, we will not allow them to get to us.”

Police attended the scene and two men have been arrested for public order offences and criminal damage.